What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?

Some men in society think that life is no longer fun and they are about to die after suffering from prostate cancer, so they start to give up on themselves and suffer a lot. Therefore, many people do not really understand prostate cancer. So what are the symptoms of prostate cancer?

(1) If the prostate tumor progressively enlarges locally and compresses the prostate urethra, urination disorders may occur, manifested as progressive dysuria (thinning of urine stream, deflection of urine stream, bifurcation of urine stream or prolonged urination), frequent urination, urgency, pain during urination, feeling of incomplete urination, etc. In severe cases, dribbling of urine and urinary retention may occur. These symptoms are similar to those of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BpH), which can easily lead to misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis, thus delaying the early diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

(2) For advanced prostate cancer, fatigue, weight loss, and body pain may occur. The pain seriously affects the diet, sleep, and mental state. After long-term torture, the whole body condition becomes weaker and weaker, and anemia progresses. Eventually, the patient suffers from total renal failure and cachexia.

(3) When prostate cancer metastasizes to the bone, it can cause bone pain at the site of metastasis. Common sites of bone metastasis include the spine, hip bones, ribs, and shoulder blades. About 50% of advanced patients experience bone pain, which is common in the waist, buttocks, hip pelvis. Bone pain has different manifestations. Some patients may experience persistent pain, while others experience intermittent pain. Bone pain can be confined to a specific part of the body, or it can manifest as migratory pain in different parts of the body: bone pain may vary at different times of the day and respond differently to rest and activity. If the bones become noticeably brittle, then fractures are likely to occur. Certain parts are common sites of arthritis, so pain in any of these parts is not necessarily caused by prostate cancer metastasis, and further examination is needed to determine whether prostate cancer metastasis exists.

(4) One-half to two-thirds of patients have lymph node metastasis when they first see a doctor, most of which occurs in the waist, groin, and other parts of the body. If prostate cancer metastasizes to nearby regional lymph nodes, there are usually no symptoms. In a few cases, when lymph nodes are widely metastatic and enlarged, compressing blood vessels and blocking lymph flow in the lower limbs, leg swelling will occur.

(5) For patients with advanced prostate cancer and spinal metastasis, if there is a spinal fracture or the tumor invades the spinal cord, it may lead to nerve compression and paralysis, and requires immediate emergency treatment in a hospital.

(6) If prostate cancer invades the bladder or the pelvic lymph nodes are widely metastatic, unilateral or bilateral ureteral obstruction (the channel that drains urine from the kidneys to the bladder) may occur. Symptoms and signs of ureteral obstruction include oliguria, anuria in the case of bilateral ureteral obstruction, back pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever in the case of concurrent infection.

(7) Prostate cancer is usually not accompanied by hematuria and hematospermia. However, if hematuria and hematospermia occur, urology examinations should be performed.

(8) Bleeding may occur in patients with extensive metastatic prostate cancer. Anemia may occur in patients with prostate cancer. The cause of anemia may be related to bone metastasis of the tumor, endocrine therapy, or duration of illness. Since the number of blood cells generally decreases slowly, the patient may not have any symptoms of anemia. Some patients with severe anemia may experience weakness, postural hypotension, dizziness, shortness of breath, and fatigue.

The main symptoms of prostate cancer are the above points. At the same time, after people know the symptoms of prostate cancer, they should realize that prostate cancer is a very scary disease, so every man should take enough measures to deal with prostate cancer.